Kickboxer 3: The Art Of War (1992)

Kickboxer 3: The Art Of War (1992)- * * *1\2

Directed by: Rick King

Starring: Sasha Mitchell, Dennis Chan, Ian Jacklin, Noah Verduzco, Alethea Miranda and Richard Comar












Ace kickboxer David Sloan (Mitchell) travels to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, along with his trainer/mentor Xian (Chan) for an exhibition bout. When destitute street scamp Marcos (Verduzco) tries to steal his camera, Sloan realizes Marcos and his sister Isabella (Miranda) have a hard life and need some guidance and understanding. So he takes a liking to the two urchins. 

Meanwhile, Sloan prepares to face off against an evil, ruthless kickboxer named Martine (Jacklin). His manager is Lane (Comar), a criminal who also has his hands in white slavery and prostitution. When Lane and his goons kidnap Isabella, it becomes personal for Sloan, and he, along with Xian and Marcos (“The gringo, the philosopher, and the boy”, as their “Machine Gun Joe” character notes) go on a revenge mission to save Isabella and get justice. Will they succeed?

We really enjoyed Kickboxer 3. It’s a lot more entertaining and fun than you might think. The whole concept of a guy, who, as far as we know, is just a simple kickboxer, going on a dangerous mission and shooting people to save a girl he really just met is just so great. More plots should be like this. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what it is, but something about Sasha Mitchell is also very appealing. He makes a good lead man. 

A total change of pace from Van Damme, Mitchell appears to be the ultimate California dude. A cross between Freddie Prinze Jr. and Keanu Reeves, when we first see him in the movie he’s wearing red overalls with no shirt. And his outfits just get better from there on in. Plus he has a winning chuckle that really brings you over to his side. And when Lane hatches his nefarious plan to “tire him out” before the big fight, his assistant says, “he’s like a machine!” - the fact that he’s an indefatigable warrior who is proficient in guns as well as fists, but that he also cares about children, makes you really root for him.

Mitchell has some amazing line readings as well...but his wardrobe is quite impressive: he has not just one, but two Benny The Jet shirts. Giving him a counterpart in the clothing department is his wise sensei Xian. Xian is always ready with a learned maxim, such as “clothes don’t make a woman beautiful...but it helps!” A movie highlight comes when, in their travels around Rio to get answers, they run into a gay Samba choreographer. For some unknown reason, this guy has goons! In the midst of some sort of Carnival rehearsals, he sics his goons on Sloan, Xian and Marcos! It’s nutty ideas like this that move Kickboxer 3 above its seemingly lowly status as a third entry in a series. But let’s also remember director Rick King’s previous movie before this was Prayer of The Rollerboys (1990). So, there you go.

But back to Sloan’s true nemesis, Martine, Ian Jacklin doesn’t say too many actual lines of dialogue (It‘s mainly just your classic yells of “RAAAAHHHH!!!), but he’s still sufficiently evil. He even taunts his opponents by spontaneously breaking into a dance of “The Running Man”. Weirdly, Ian Jacklin, here more than ever, resembles another Ian, Brown. Both the actor/fighter and the singer for The Stone Roses have a distinctly monkey-like face and could be brothers. No insult is intended, it’s simply a description. Ian Brown should have gone into acting instead of pursuing a solo career. Then a movie could be made where Keanu Reeves and Sasha Mitchell are brothers, and Ian Jacklin and Ian Brown are brothers. Sadly, it looks like we won’t see that imaginary film any time soon.

While there is a bit of filler during the “evil training” sequence, Kickboxer 3 provides solid entertainment and is pretty crowd-pleasing. Some of its more absurd moments and ideas help a lot, as does its winning cast, so we can certainly recommend it.

Comeuppance Review by: Ty and Brett

Also check out write-ups by our buddies, DTVC, The Action Elite, Ninja Dixon, The Video Vacuum, and Ruthless Reviews!

Kickboxer 2: The Road Back (1991)

Kickboxer 2: The Road Back (1991)- * *1\2

Directed by: Albert Pyun

Starring: Sasha Mitchell, Cary-Hiroyuki Takawa, Vince Murdocco, Michel Quissi, Dennis Chan, Heather McComb, Peter Boyle, Brian Austin Green, and Matthias Hues


***900th Review***


"Better than Kickboxer"-L.A. Times







David Sloan (Mitchell) runs a humble gym in L.A. where he teaches street kids the philosophies behind fighting. When hot shot fight promoter Maciah (Boyle) and his associate Sanga (Tagawa) offer to give Sloan some major fights and basically rocket him to fame, Sloan declines, because money and notoriety mean nothing to him, he has far too much integrity. 

Disappointed, they take on Sloan’s friend and fellow fighter Brian (Murdocco) as a client. Unfortunately, Brian must fight the evil Tong Po (Qissi) - the man that killed David’s brothers. So the fact that Kurt Sloane (Van Damme in the previous movie - who spells his name with an “E”, which is either an indication of Estevez-Sheen-style family dysfunction, or a simple oversight) is now dead and there’s a brother that was never previously mentioned, and it’s something us as viewers are supposed to simply ignore. 

Seeing as how Tong Po has some sort of strange, unexplained obsession with killing the entire Sloan (e) family, Xian (Chan) trains David, and then the climactic moment finally comes when this new Sloan brother takes on the vicious Po in the ring. What will happen?

While it’s a good thing that Sasha Mitchell took over from Van Damme - if the Kickboxer series was to continue without him, anyway - because Mitchell is likable and has good screen presence, the other side of the coin is that Albert Pyun directed Kickboxers 2 and 4. Pyun’s movies tend to have many scenes that drag, and this movie as a whole is too dark and logical. There are no wacky, bizarre edges. 

Thankfully, the non-Pyun-directed part 3 in the series was a much-needed shot in the arm and is a lot of fun. Sadly though, Pyun returned for part 4, as if to say “you kids were having too much fun in part 3”. Old Albert does have an over-reliance on slo-mo, but Pyun does include a montage with a great song, “A Man Alone” by Savoy Brown and a training sequence, separate and apart from each other. So it’s not a total loss.

Of course, none other than Peter Boyle himself is on board as Maciah, a man who wants to turn men beating each other into a worldwide commodity. In that way, this movie predates UFC. To see Boyle standing side by side with fan favorite Matthias Hues (inexplicably playing a guy named “Neil Vargas”) was a rare treat. Vargas’ brand of spandex-based fighting was certainly of its time, and perhaps an effective intimidation tactic. I know if I saw a long-haired musclebound brute with aqua tights on, I’d run the other way. But part of Xian’s training ritual for David Sloan is to have him wear a similarly-colored half-shirt while working out in the park, so maybe he’s fighting fire with fire. Or aqua with aqua.

Even before Sloan meets Xian, he seems to have a cultured philosophical mind, but Mitchell’s Keanu Reeves-like California Dude voice makes him seem like he’s going to end every thought-provoking maxim with “...Dude”. But Chan plays the Mr. Miyagi-like role endearingly enough, a mirror image of the suave but corrupt Sanga, played by regular face on the site, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa. So we’ve got Sasha Mitchell, Peter Boyle, Matthias Hues, Dennis Chan, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Vince Murdocco...what could be missing? Of course, Brian Austin Green! He plays a classic 90’s punk kid with a King Diamond shirt who, much like Thomas did to Jesus, doesn’t believe in the awesomeness of David Sloan. 

This must be what Megan Fox finds so endearing about him. Last but not least is Michel Qissi as the strange-faced Tong Po. Who now is just an out-and-out murderer who has the outward appearance of a kickboxer. He’s a serial killer who just uses kickboxing as his method of death. But as we’ll (briefly) hear about in part 4, he does become a record producer. So there’s that.

Kickboxer 2 is something of a mixed bag. The cast is good, but the Pyunniness is not. It’s a rocky way to start off the parade of sequels, but it’s not without some charm. It’s a mainstay in many used VHS sales, so if the price is cheap enough, it’s a viable addition to your collection.

Comeuppance Review by: Brett and Ty

Also check out write-ups from our buddies, DTVC, The Video Vacuum, Ninja Dixon, and Ruthless Reviews!

Kickboxer (1989)

Kickboxer (1989)-* * *

Directed by: David Worth

Starring: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Dennis Alexio, Rochelle Ashana, Dennis Chan, and Michel Quissi












Eric Sloane (Alexio) is a champion kickboxer in the United States, so, seeking new triumphs in the ring, he travels to Thailand. With his brother/ringman Kurt (Van Damme) by his side, he feels he cannot lose. That is, until he faces off against the most fearsome fighter in Thailand, if not the world: the dreaded Tong Po (“himself”...actually Qissi). 

Despite Kurt warning him to not get in the ring with him, Eric pridefully ignores his brother and fights Tong Po. The evil Po mercilessly beats Eric so badly he paralyzes him for life. Seeking revenge for his brother’s crippling, Kurt sets out to learn Muay Thai and beat Tong Po in the ring. No school will accept him, so, working on a tip from ex-Special Forces Vietnam vet Winston (Anderson), Kurt goes into the Thai countryside to receive lessons from master Xian Chow (Chan). Chow puts him through his paces, but Kurt ends up falling in love with Mylee (Ashana) in the meantime. Gangster Freddy Li (Lee) has bet millions on the upcoming fight between Kurt and Po. After Tong Po assaults Mylee, Kurt wants revenge, so with all the pressure building, will Kurt defeat Tong Po?

Here’s another Van Damme classic from the golden year of 1989. Most people, even if they’re not action fans, are at least aware of Kickboxer. Even a David Letterman “Top Ten List” of the day featured the topic “top ten things overheard while waiting in line for Kickboxer”. Underground fighting movies had hit the mainstream and had their brief moment in the spotlight. And Van Damme was spearheading the trend, thereby becoming one of the faces of the action movie movement of the late 80’s/early 90’s. 

While Kickboxer falls squarely in the middle in terms of the quality of his Punchfighting era (the best being Bloodsport, 1988 and the weakest being The Quest, 1996 - as always it’s open for debate but that’s our opinion), it has a “much imitated, never equaled” kind of feel to it and even though it’s a little on the long side, it never really gets boring.

It may be a bit of a stretch to believe Alexio and Van Damme are brothers, but, that aside, in the movie, Eric disregards Kurt’s advice to not fight Tong Po, thus reinforcing the old saying “always listen to your Van Damme”. But the brothers in Bangkok do share a genetic sense for fashion, as stonewashed denim vests and half-shirts seem to be the order of the day. 

But Van Damme steals the show in the wardrobe department when he unleashes what can only be described as a tanktop with suspenders for straps. And for no explained reason, for the final face-off with Tong Po, they are BOTH wearing silly loincloths that leave criminally little to the imagination. How did they both know to wear a freakin’ loincloth to this particular battle? Presumably they didn’t talk beforehand and arrange it - it’s surprising they both weren’t embarrassed, like two women who wear the same outfit to a party.

There are some excellent and picturesque Thai locations, there’s a great song at every turn which smartly keeps the energy going (most of which are by AOR artist Stan Bush), and at one point one character says to Van Damme, “I’m not signing your death warrant”. Seeing as the movie of that name came out the next year, could this line be an inspiration? 

Also in 1990 came a similarly-themed movie to Kickboxer, The King of the Kickboxers (1990), where Keith Cooke takes over the rural Thai trainer role. But one thing that movie does not have, nor any of the myriad “training sequence” movies that followed in its wake has, is one very important element: the “Van Damme” dance. Yes, part of Kurt’s training is to go to a roadside cafe, get drunk, then bust a move with some local ladies. The movie pretty much stops - as it should - so we can see Van Damme get funky on the dance floor. Not since Breakin’ (1984) where he claps along to the beat in his wrestling singlet have we seen his expertise with rhythm. Definitely a movie - nay - a career highlight for JCVD. He should have danced more in his movies.

One other note: like how in Best of the Best 2 (1990), the name “Brakus” is constantly and continuously said throughout the movie, here the name “Tong Po” is the constantly-said name. These writers were sure proud of their bad-guy names. While the popularity of this movie led to the inevitable flood of sequels (where Sasha Mitchell replaces Van Damme), this original is truly a “video store classic” and a worthy movie in its own right.

Comeuppance Review by: Ty and Brett